In the Report presented by your Committee for
1859, you were congratulated upon the successful accomplishment
of the laborious undertaking to raise the sum of £2,000 by
private subscription, in order to secure the munificent donation
of £1,000, promised by an anonymous donor, on that condition,
for the purpose of organising a party to explore the interior of
Australia.

Your Committee also expressed a hope that the
Legislature would supplement these amounts with a vote of
£6,000. This sum was promptly appropriated by Government and
duly voted by the Legis­lature, for the purpose, and placed
at the disposal of your Committee, by the Hon. William Nicholson,
Chief Secretary.

The importance of taking advantage of the
winter season to penetrate the and regions of the interior
was not overlooked by your Committee, but as a sum of £3,000
had been forwarded by Govern­ment to India, to purchase
camels for this express object, it was deemed, after careful
consideration, to be better to await the arrival of these "ships
of the desert," rather than hasten the departure of the
Expedition before they arrived. A light party, to reconnoitre the
vicinity of Cooper's Creek was at one time seriously thought of,
but no advantage seemed likely to be gained by such a proceeding,
that would compensate for the large additional outlay it would
entail.

The camels, twenty-five in number,
arrived in Hobson's Bay, June 25th, in good order and condition,
under the care of Mr George James Landells, on board the
Chinsurah, Captain Gisborne, and immediate
arrangements were made to have them safely landed and properly
housed. Your Committee has gratefully to acknowledge the ready
cooperation of the Government in securing these impor­tant
objects.

The important duty of selecting a Leader for
the Expedition was the next and most anxious duty that devolved
on your Committee. The names of several highly eligible gentlemen
were submitted for consideration, but, after mature deliberation,
it was resolved to an­nounce that the appointment was open,
and candidates were invited to offer their services.

In reply to this invitation a number of
gentlemen, of various qualifications presented their credentials,
and sought the arduous but honorable post. The difficulty your
Committee experienced in making a selection was increased by the
number of apparently suitable candidates that offered their
services. After much anxious inquiry and careful deliberation,
your Committee selected Robert O'Hara Burke, Esq., Superintendent
of Police in the Castlemaine district, and formerly a cavalry
officer in the Austrian service, whose appointment to this
onerous office was duly endorsed by the Government.

Your Committee, feeling strongly that it was
of the first importance the Leader of so difficult an
undertaking as traversing the wilds of an unknown region should
have the free and uncontrolled selection of his officers and men,
conceded to Mr Burke at once the entire management of the
organization of his party. Accordingly the whole number of
applicants were invited to meet the leader at the Hall of the
Royal Society, when out of about 700 candidates the following
were selected, after personal interviews and careful
inquiries:

George James Landells,

second in command

William John Wills,

Surveyor and Astronomer

Hermann Beckler,

Medical Officer and Botanist

Ludwig Becker,

Artist and Naturalist, &c.

Charles D. Ferguson,

Assistant and Foreman

William Patten,

Assistant

Patrick Langan,

-do-.

Owen Cowen,

-do-.

Robert Fletcher,

-do-.

Henry Creber,

-do-.

William Brahe,

-do-.

John Drakeford,

-do-.

John King,

-do-.

Thos. F. McDonough,

-do-.

These men, after a careful examination by Dr
William Gillbee, on behalf of the Committee, were pronounced by
him free from physical defect and disease.

The final selection of the route was the next
subject of anxious consideration demanding the attention of your
Committee.

There were three principal routes proposed for
selection, namely;

1st Port Augusta, at the head of
Spencer's Gulf, and thence to the north.

2nd Blunder Bay, at the mouth of
the Victoria, on the north-west coast, and thence across
the country to the South.

3rd Across the country by the most
direct route to Cooper's Creek, in lat. 27°37' 8" long.
141°5' where the party would be on the verge of the
unexplored country, and on a spot where permanent water could be
had, and a Depot formed, whence excursions could be made to the
north or north-west as might be deemed desirable, and upon which
the party could at any time fall back for supplies in case of
necessity.

The vital importance of the selection to be
made gave your Committee much anxiety, in which the grave
responsibility resting on every member of it was sensibly felt.
The reasons for each of these routes were carefully and calmly
weighed, and after a full and earnest debate, the route by
Cooper's Creek was finally selected, as possessing the greatest
number of advantages that could be secured consistently with the
successful prosecution of the objects of the enterprise.

The preparations for the long journey were, in
the meantime, rapidly progressing, and the outfit, as suggested
by the Committee and Leader, was approved of by the Government,
and furnished for the most part by the Government Storekeeper.
(The list is printed in Appendix I.)

The expedition being fully equipped and
prepared, took its departure from the Royal Park, August 20th,
1860, in the presence of a vast concourse of the inhabitants of
Melbourne, who enthusiastically cheered the caravan as it started
on its perilous and interesting journey; Dr Richard Eades, Mayor
of Melbourne, and Vice-President of the Society, on behalf of the
people, wishing Mr Burke and his companions God speed.

Your Committee has only further to state that
notwithstanding some changes in the party, satisfactory progress
has been made, and the latest intelligence confirms the opinion
that the efficiency of the Expedition has been improved by the
alterations and reductions that have been effected.

Your Committee refrains from making any
comments on the secession of some officers, and other
events of minor importance which have been placed before the
public from time to time ; and in closing this report, earnestly
commends the interests of the Expedi­tion and the fair fame
of the gallant leader, with all his devoted officers and brave
companions, to the proverbial candour of all honorable men, and
the warm sympathy of the Royal Society.